Baseball: Air Force falls to Navy

  • Published
  • By Nick Arseniak
  • U.S. Air Force Academy Assistant Sports Information Director
MILLINGTON, Tenn. (AFNEWS) --  Behind the strong pitching of junior right-hander Mitch Harris, Navy coasted to a 7-1 win over Air Force Feb. 23 at the 2007 Service Academies Spring Baseball Classic at USA Stadium. 

Navy broke open a 1-1 tie ballgame with three runs in the fifth and two more in the seventh to pull away. Harris improved to 3-0 on the season, holding the Falcons to just one on three hits while striking out eight in 7.2 innings of work.

Falcon starter Gary Whiteman took the loss, falling to 1-2 on the season. Whiteman left the game with one out in the fifth inning after walking the bases loaded to allow the go-ahead run. Whiteman ended up charged for four runs on five hits while striking out a career-best four batters.

Freshmen Ben Ausbun and Addison Gentry and sophomore Jason Griggs had the three base hits for the Falcons. Ausbun singled and later scored on Gentry's double in the fourth inning. The run was Harris' first earned run allowed on the season and snapped a string of 27 innings, dating back to 2006, without allowing an earned run.

Griggs extended his hitting streak to 11 games with his single in the eighth inning.

Navy had nine hits in the win with Harris going 3-for-4 and two runs. Mids' shortstop Kendall Bolt, brother of Falcon first baseman Karl Bolt, scored the go ahead run for Navy in the fifth.


Comment on this story (comments may be published on Air Force Link)

Click here to view the comments/letters page